Dr Tom Prichard Explains Why WWE CANNOT Produce Money-Drawing Superstars Anymore! (IN-DEPTH)

[@boxingfan6766]

I feel its because WWE doesn't WANT to make any new stars anymore. They want the company to be the star, to be the attraction, not the talent. Just look at the past 20 years: The Rock, Batista, John Cena, all 3 have gone on to make successful Hollywood careers, Dwayne Johnson specifically is a bigger name than WWE.

[@jahiddle]

Makes sense since their major title belts have the big WW logo on them making them look like shit but they don't care as long as the logo takes up 60-70% of the belt.

[@boxingfan6766]

@@jahiddle yep exactly.

[@extremepop324]

WWE and all corporate wrestling is bad for pro wrestling's future. That corporate control needs to die for real.

[@1krani]

Triple H said it himself: "No one's going to get over. No one's going to be bigger than the brand."

[@sty723]

Goddammit, I think you've found it! But Mr. Johnson wouldn't have gotten where he is if it wasn't for WWE though. You DO remember him getting hurt in football, right? So, WWE is its own Performance Center. Cena's doing like Brock Lesnar until HE gets too old and/or wants to move on.

[@Dock76]

It's weird that a company that cares so much about individual stars doesn't want individuals.

[@Dock76]

That's an industry wide problem though. Nobody feels unique.

[@reeseangle9621]

@@Dock76 not facts AJ styles feels different, Cody Feels different.

[@6steveo9]

@@reeseangle9621 exceptions that prove the rule. Funny thing is the reason they stand out, not just to you btw but to me also, is that they work, they don't play wrestler. You can buy into AJ's matches or Cody's matches (to an extent there have been times where both have ended up working with clowns and when you work with clowns its all flowers squirting water and stupid shoes so you can't blame them really) which is in fact what disproves your point. They stand out simply because most of their peers are the same. Same moves, look, matches play out the same. Oooh another dive. Just the 30 tonight so far then. Ugh. Its kinda funny really. 20 years ago Pro Wrestling was awash with cookie cutter meat heads. Now its awash with cookie cutter short and/or skinny dudes. Gimme a roster of MJFs, least the little bastard makes wanna push his face in.

[@darnelldarden9429]

@@reeseangle9621 Cody don’t feel different he feels like Triple H lite

[@SexxStar]

wow

[@johnny6610]

Remember when Vince use to make fun of the WCW about having old guys rasslin and not giving the young guys a shot? Lol he’s using guys like Goldberg now 🤡

[@fergalstackstreams]

WWE became WCW a long time ago.

[@BigWynne]

So when half of A.E.W is WWE guys in their late thirties and forties Bryan Danielson 40 , Phill Brooks 42 and couple guys ( Jericho 50 & Sting 62 year old ) comes to mind aren't they becoming Pot meet Kettle ?

[@johnny6610]

@@BigWynne That’s to get the casuals to watch but you know the rasslin is much better with the young guys there

[@B1GK1NG]

You mean OldBerg 😂

[@BigWynne]

@@johnny6610 I would agree but I watched the Nwo last night I mean the elite beat up a guy with more talent then all of them , seem like I've seen that before about 20 years ago, and the squash and I'm retiring angel was just done with Brock and Rey, hopefully they turn it around soon.

[@matthewalkman386]

I said it many years ago around John Cena. When every wrestler has a first and last REGULAR name, the character/magic of it went completely away. And worse, when their backstory is all the same - "I worked hard in NXT and now im here" - no one is special anymore.

[@Caun-88]

Good point on that bs backstory thing. "Just happy to be here in The Big Leagues of WWE™" is so lame. Casualties of being so worried about people being "bigger than the brand". They're so worried about that all the top belts are just prominent corporate logo palette swaps and nobody is allowed to really get over; and if anyone does organically without their permission or blessing instead of running with it they'll run to it and stomp it out.

[@josiahalcorne]

Here's what kills me about that is you can easily fix that by adding manager/trainers to the mix. They have a network to play with. Have a reality type show with prospects going through the basics throw a little scripting into it. Have manager/trainers take on the promising prospects and coach/train them up based on their style/personality the idea being that the manager gets a piece of the prospects contract when they move up to the main roster. Now the wrestlers have a variety of backgrounds based on which manager/trainer they took and there is built-in storyline angles based on your NXT faction. The manager/trainer gimmick is a great spot for former talent.

[@ADG.Est.1988]

Great point. Great point. I agree with you 💯. Bray Wyatt is an example of a character being special. The Boogeyman, Fin Balor, I know I'm missing some. But damn the names are so damn bland I'm missing the Blue meenie, hurricane and crash Holly like they're the rock and Stone Cold

[@asapoluu9885]

@@josiahalcorne AEW does similar things with their veterans

[@josiahalcorne]

@@asapoluu9885 AEW has a ton of potential and really could turn the whole industry around. The big problem with AEW is that too many of their guys can't tell a story in the ring. A match should tell a short story. A guy should get in some offense the other guy should sell it maybe have a cut off spot where the other guy gets some offense in and the other guy sells someone hits their finisher or cheats to win and the match is over. It can be a squash job or an injury angle that sells a move and advances a story. Too many of the AEW guys just run through a collection of impressive moves that don't have any effect and they are just waiting for the pin spot.

[@jessycruz2465]

Wwe shows today are too clean, scripted, regulated, goofy, and it feels like the shows are mainly tailored for kids.

[@loosescrews8106]

Exactly! I want the days of the "drunk Uncle" who cheated to win and looked authentic and his personality was his character. Not some polished tanned steroid juiced up acrobat who has scripted lines trying to play the part of the "Drunk Uncle". What made Steve Austin a star was the fact that he convinced Vince Mcmachon to allow him to be himself.

[@redwolfe7049]

Part of that problem is that we can miss a handful of of episodes or just watch highlights and still ain't really missing nothing notable.

[@Giveme1goodreason]

With the exception of 1997-2008 that’s what Vince McMahon’s whole career has been. Childish bullshit directed at children. In the 80s it was hogan saying eat your vitamins and say your prayers. In the 90s it was cartoonish gimmicks like isaak yankem. Now it’s stupid comedy and girl power and all of it is directed at kids.

[@MrHalo087]

WWE isn't for kids its for the women.

[@travisjames5]

Ya think? Wouldn't you not do the same if you were trying to sell to disney?

[@kelbob00]

When you train everybody the same way and then you handcuff them as far as their personality/character and just hand them scripts and tell them what to say and do… You’re just creating a bunch of JAG’s.

[@joeduff8761]

🤣 u from pittsburgh?

[@fc775]

Alot of the guys suck

[@GLPitt1]

I always say, the reason WWF was able to clearly put themselves above the competition was that McMahon raided the other territories of their talent. And then they had such a good mix of guys who were very polished pros but all came from different places and had different styles, unusual characters that they developed themselves, the ability to sell and lots of charisma. They can't create that with this cookie cutter, corporate, ass clown way of doing shit. Their biggest stars developed organically. Even John Cena, he cut his teeth in OVW, came up and played with his persona "Dr of Thugganomics" and worked well with the established stars. Sure he was pushed but he had and has a lot of leeway as far as what he does. Nobody these days has that carte blanche to develop their skills & perona that way.

[@roymartin500]

@@GLPitt1 100%

[@BofoshoBeatz]

@@GLPitt1 Word

[@DashingPunkSamurai]

I always though the problem was WWE runs an assembly line and not a school

[@HeavensRedemption]

Oh its your pic lmaoo woooooowwwww I was over here trying to get a damn eyelash off my damn screen!

[@brickcitybikeman3108]

I feel like he's a lot more honest than his brother Bruce

[@munsterbraum2792]

Bruce is a 'yes' man.

[@nebwachamp]

That's his gimmick.

[@Zebowillisjr]

Bruce Prichard is a man with a job. Most jobs require you to be a yes man as you are there getting paid to perform a job and not tell the boss how they are wrong. Pretty sure Bruce’s job is to do what Vince tells him to do, not to argue with him.

[@j_mad]

Theres things with horns and pitchforks that are more honest than bruce 😆🤣😂

[@miguelEguzman]

@@j_mad farm trucks?

[@spaceracer23]

Vince doesn't want any new stars. WWE is just about streaming content. The quality of that content does not matter. All Vice needs is causal fans to tune into a couple of events because of Goldberg, Cena or Brock and that gets the numbers he needs to sell to Peacock.

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

The quality doesn’t matter to any promotion of this planet. We want quality. They want money

[@Badar2310]

In 10 years he won’t have these people to bring back.

[@pokermitten9795]

@@Badar2310 In 10 years he might be retired or worse.

[@RaikenXion]

He'll sell alright, i can see him selling it all to Disney one day.

[@Lunacyk]

@@Herbert_Rudolf There's promotions that have quality and still do things right. They just are overseas or on the indy circuit. Problem becomes when you're putting out some of the best stuff and new top prospects, but they can't get seen due to lack of exposure or overexposure/oversaturation of the indy wrestling scene, etc.

[@fergalstackstreams]

They haven't produced stars because of 50/50 booking. They want everyone to be the same so that they're not dependent on any one draw, who could leave them high and dry and cause the stock price to dip. They want the brand to be the draw.

[@erickessler2826]

fergal stack when every wrestler look like daniel bryan. little 190 pounder doing trillion superkicks flips and dives. i have no problem with a few crusierweight matches. when u have 8-9 matches. which is all flips and dives. noone stands out in nxt. u do not see larger than life stars. as u had with taker kane austin mick foley wwf. or sting stars of wcw. wcw nitro in 2000 drew 5 million viewers. as cornette said in recent shoot. aew drawing 1/5 of ratings wcw nitro 2000 was drawing. pro wrestling is not popular as it once was. in cornette 2014 pro wrestling is dead. they rely on older talent. wheter it is wwe with goldberg lesnar trish lita cena etc as partime time wrestlers. or aew with billy gunn golddust sting etc.

[@robintaylor680]

This video right here is one of the best wrestling videos you could ask for on KZbin this is what the world needs to hear. Congratulations to this KZbin channel for finally showing the world the perfect wrestling upload about why wrestling is no longer what it used to be

[@KyleS.1987]

Dr. Tom makes a great point about indie wrestlers who've gotten over with crowds who want to be part of the show. The mega-stars of the business won over people who came to *see* a show. The man is just talking sense, and it baffles me that the WWE doesn't want to listen.

[@dominicrossitto5890]

Because they believe they know best, even with their TV ratings and attendance dropping, for years, faster then a turd being flushed down a toilet.🙄

[@kingrobthegreat7446]

Well read/listen to Roddy Piper. He predicted this. In his book, he said that the wwf had the "come see the show" instead of come see this "star". According to him, They did this to pay the wrestlers less. Now wrestlers come in, and leave. The only exceptions are guys who are yes men and are half way good. Piper predcited a lot imo

[@calikid05]

Vince is surrounded by corrupt yes men who don’t know what they are doing.

[@kingrobthegreat7446]

@@calikid05 TOTALLY DISAGREE. They know exactly what they are doing. They are making themselves more important than the wrestlers. I see this in the factory all the time. The mgmt think the place cant run without them even though they dont know anything. Someone once said after a wm,--"it was a great show. If ONLY WE DIDNT NEED A RING TO DO THE SHOW". Vince and co beleive this b/c these ppl are "educated" and have degrees from college.

[@kingrobthegreat7446]

@Shane's Warped World Creations You must be a dumbass who thinks there is a real Santa too. In the real world it doesn't work like that. If what you said were true, then Cm Punk & D Bryan would have headlined at least 3 Wrestlemanias apiece. But they were brought wayyyy down. Think with your head, Not your heart.

[@LastSunrise1981]

Well you had a ready made star with Bray Wyatt as The Fiend. He had a great presence, skills, and old school gimmick that traditional and even new fans embraced. Rather than use him to his potential they fed him to Goldberg, Orton, and released him.

[@RDSArcade]

Don't forget, highjacked his gimmick and gave it to Alexa Bliss

[@josecalderon8133]

Brays not a PC product

[@jjthapyro4130]

Vince was never on the Bray Wyatt bandwagon to begin with. Sad because he is a great promo guy.

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

Wyatt/Windham was the best thing to happen to WWE in a long, long time. Easily the most exciting & interesting character in the last 10 years

[@JM-nd9zf]

Bray Wyatt never was and never will be a "money-making superstar" and neither will anyone else on the current roster. WWE hasn't had a legit superstar that transcends the sport since John Cena, and even he was nothing compared to the guys that came before him like Hogan and The Rock as far as being a household name. Put Bray Wyatt on the WWE roster 20 years ago (2002) and he'd lucky to be wrestling dark matches. The new guys just don't have that "it" factor that the older guys had that made you actually care about and invest in them.

[@paulknowles6433]

I'd love to hear Tom and Al snow have a discussion like this on a podcast. That would be gold

[@randomaccount-dq1jq]

It would be great as part of that to have them compare the pros and cons of the NJPW Young Lion system vs the WWE PC.

[@bkohler89]

Tom Pritchard and Al Snow in the same shoot interview together, nothing gets better than that!

[@themachine8277]

Simple answer- it doesn't matter how good in the ring you are. You're only as good as the gimmick you're stuck with. Writers sink good talent

[@DehumanizingSounds]

Well it depends. Being good in the ring doesn’t just come down to what moves you do. The subtleties matter. How to draw ire, elicit good and bad reactions, improvise on miscues, whatever. But the gimmicks, angles and promos draw you to the big match. The match booking and in ring work contributes to the pay off. And when everything falls into place it puts wrestling on cloud nine.

[@waynetables6414]

aside from Kane and the undertaker, how many top guys from the attitude era expected the writers to come up with a gimmick for them? The problem is all these wrestlers think that it's someone else's responsibility to come up with this shit, and Vince has too big of an ego and employs too many writers to admit that he had no hand in coming up with the vast majority of the most popular characters in wwf history. Vince is a promoter, not a writer. Vince will give you the opportunity to make millions and get famous but you as a wrestler need to give him something to promote.

[@stevonwhite8933]

@@waynetables6414 You listen to Brodie and Tommy who tried so hard to give idea after idea to be shut down by Vince. And those names aren’t even close to how many had guys that had ideas that were shot down. My opinion has been since the RA ERA, Vince has been content with not making another superstar because of his pettiness of guys being mainstream enough to leave for Hollywood. These guys will never be bigger than the brand by design, and that’s Vince’s fault💯.

[@waynetables6414]

​@@stevonwhite8933 I see where you are coming from but I disagree with the premise that Vince doesn't want to create mainstream stars. I don't think Rock being successful outside of wwe has hurt Vince, I think it has helped him. Same goes for Brock Lesnar. If Vince is content to not have any stars on his roster than why would he care if he makes a star and then that star leaves? I think Vince deserves blame for a lot of things wrong with wwe but I don't blame him for the fact that no one is getting over with an audience that's not smart marks. I think a guy like Enzo Amore should be the model of how guys coming up in the WWE can get themselves over, If there are guys who can cut promos like that, Vince will feature them prominently. Obviously Enzo's size and sexual assault stuff prevented him from amounting to much but I think what he brings is what the company has been missing.

[@shawnmichaels4805]

@@waynetables6414 The girl who claimed to be sexually assaulted by Enzo turned out to be false. That girl is known for doing that more often and Enzo ended up paying the price.

[@shigyshigshig5846]

This guy has a great wrestling mind and makes some great points

[@thegodfatheroftoys3349]

Attention wrestling fans- the WWE is in the position they have always wanted to be in. The WWE is the attraction that draws money, not any star. The days of People turning out to see a star is over. You come to see the WWE and what they wanna give tou

[@ThinkBeFree99]

THIS! Exactly this! I remember reading a few yrs ago WWE didnt want tonmake big stars like Austin, Rock, Cena, Batista anymore. They wanted the WWE to be the big brand and the big draw! There are pros and cons, buy i figure more impactful cons. Truth be told Pro Wrestling is the perfect breeding ground for creating crossover stars. The 4 mentioned above are all proof of that and are respected beyond Pro Wrestling and by other legends in other sports and entwrtainment. Good. luck finding stars in other areas respecting any of the current crop of "superstars". KO is one of the best today b but he's still a fatass common guy. Like Batista said "what happened to all the REAL men!?

[@ThinkBeFree99]

Its stupid they think that way because Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena, Batista all getting big actually helps the WWE and gives them a lot of clout

[@TheSwordfish009]

Yeah people don't want to accept that the old wrestling days are over. This market is for kids, that's it. If people want adult drama and actual competition they can watch UFC, Boxing, MMA worldwide. REAL COMPETITION. Vince openly told us that kids would be the focus. And he's made the right decision. We adults have companies that focus on real competition and shit-talking drama. McGregor, Khabib, Mayweather, and yes... even the Paul brothers fulfill this purpose.

[@GregGumbel]

@@TheSwordfish009 the only thing the paul brothers should be filling is a casket

[@SVGIN]

Even brock lesnar can't being it back....shit is just dead

[@TheNextStep851]

For me it's a mix of the wrong people in the key positions, and bad writing. The writing in particular is key. What would Goldberg have been if he was booked 50-50 in his first few months? What could Bray Wyatt have been if he was booked more consistently dominant and had been given Undertaker's streak? What could Elias be right now if he wasn't booked in the exact same segment for 2-3 years? This is a problem in wrestling across the board by the way, it's not just a WWE thing. AEW has this dumb rankings system and to the casual viewer when their win-loss record appears on screen it makes all of the talent look like losers. NXT doesn't prep its talent for the main roster. The talent don't know what to do when the mania crowd have all gone home and the reality sets in after that initial debut pop. They don't know how to get over with character work in the ring. They think high spots are the way to go, just as Tom said in this video.

[@wilsonjohn9766]

To me it’s the wrong people wrestling anymore.

[@TheNextStep851]

@@wilsonjohn9766 You're not wrong for the most part, man. Personally I think the recruitment ties in with the wrong people in key positions.

[@JGD185]

@@TheNextStep851 good points. I used to be a big fan in the late 90s/early 2000s but it's hard for me to watch it today. I like watching these shoots on the old days more than the current product. I like the athleticism today and there was always a place on the card for that, but I really miss the larger than life characters.

[@theunbeatable6598]

And also wrong people wrestling

[@salman13]

@@JGD185 you've also grown a lot since then. you have new likes and dislikes. things you loved to do but hate now. wrestling is the same. that growing up part is a lot of what we older fans dont seem to realize.

[@nothingislogical]

I like that this is a much more nuanced answer than, "Kids these days don't know how to work." that you get from a lot of other guys. He breaks down the learning process and talks about what works and what doesn't.

[@ferox965]

1. Ditch the writers and have bookers. 2. Performance Center-run by Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker. That should help.

[@fergalstackstreams]

Just because you're great at your craft does not necessarily mean you are able to effectively teach it. And good luck getting Bret to move to Florida.

[@ferox965]

@@fergalstackstreams Only one way to find out.

[@LL-fd7xn]

Damn right! Get rid of those writers!

[@jasonelliott7977]

One can only dream.

[@grantmcroberts4089]

Having Brett, undertaker, Kurt running a performance centre doesn't fix shit. Nxt was the show that was making talent with ease for vince and yet vince still ballsed them up and decided to fuck h in the ass along with shawn micheals and regal. Until vince fucks off and take Bruce Pritchard and laurinitis the better

[@GLPitt1]

The "This is awesome!" And "Holy Shit!" Chants were cool when they were organic back in ROH & ECW respectively. But now it's just hack and contrived.

[@1996gameking]

Because 9 out of 10 times WWE needs to pipe them in.

[@cfppf216]

Most of the business is hack and contrived now.

[@coolioso808]

I've never liked those chants. They are very hacky and contrived. To me, "this is awesome" chant should never be needed. You know what an authentic "this is awesome" chant is? No chant, but just a crazy amount of cheers, applause and awe-struck fans going nuts! You shouldn't need them chanting something specific. You just see it and hear it. Fans never chanted "this is awesome" when Stone Cold came to the arena in a beer truck and sprayed it all over The Corporation or when Mankind won the WWF Title for the first time or when The Rock and Hollywood Hogan squared off.

[@erickessler2826]

gregory lewis might i add. the what chants in 2021 make no sense. back in say atittude era or ruthless agression era. in early 2000's when austin was in segment or ppv. what chant made sense. now a days. it is just stupid smarks hijacking the shows. one of many reasons i do not waste my money on wwe show. as al snow said in shoot a few yrs ago. he is mad at wrestlers writers in business. for cater to hardcores. who will watch every week. casuals want to be entertain. al snow was right. in his shoot from rf video. in 2017 or 2018. problem is wwe caters to guys like jdfromny206 types. what culture wrestletalk alot of these smarky youtubers. who think work rate good matches. is end all be all. it is not. these smarks will watch every week. that was one many of vaild points al snow was saying. in his rf video shoot. from a few yrs ago.

[@BigReggii]

I feel its more genuine in AEW , IMPACT & ROH .

[@timfox5337]

It’s an easy answer. Too much silliness. Too much bad comedy. You have to have believable conflict. Personal issues that are interesting in real life. There’s no heat 🔥anymore. Pro wrestling is all about revenge, money, beautiful women, screwing people over, and climbing to the top. The stories need to be about those 5 things.

[@simplyhuman2213]

Bingo. The universal storytelling basics.

[@morrnmanderson7376]

Its supposed to be a male soap opera. Soap opera storylines of romances, betrayal, good vs evil archetypes. But with hot woman running around and violence between the guys lol

[@SennaHawx]

What. There was way more comedy during the AE than there is today

[@MahdiRanger]

They have had silliness and comedy since the birth of modern wwe. Please specify what era you are talking about that didn't include what you are talking about

[@MahdiRanger]

@LordGoomba Now that I agree with but this notion that wrestling needs to be serious and presented and real... bullocks. The biggest eras in wrestling all happened with some of the over the top stuff. It all comes down to characters/performers with charisma. Good booking helps too.

[@autumnwind1216]

Dr. Pritchard is right about how it used to be but they don't bother with that anymore. They intentionally castrate their stars' creativity when they get over in spite of them. If they get too big, they cut them off by using 50/50 booking because Vince was so upset when Rock left, when Austin quit the first time and when Lesnar quit the first time. They don't want to create new stars. They don't want to improve the product because they are making more money than they ever did thanks to these tv deals.

[@TheDrewThornton]

Who tf is even watching the shit anymore?

[@TheDrewThornton]

Exactly. They want their workers to be marks.

[@ChaseSchleich]

WWE has to stop "beating the indy" out of their wrestlers. Yes, there are mistakes wrestlers learn on the indys that need to be corrected, but molding them all to be the exact same is a big issue. Wrestlers are becoming carbon copies of each other which means no one has their own style, their own personality and therefore, no one gets over.

[@kingofkings69ner]

That's the problem, WWE and other promotions have nothing but wrestlers and no workers

[@Brice3333]

the attitude era also had multi story lines up and down the card, where now only 1 person matters in the entire company.

[@bobt1346]

The mid 80's-early 90's was also full of these storylines. Look at how the Survivor Series teams were all comprised of guys feuding with someone on the other team - very rarely was a guy just randomly thrown onto a team during that time period. And most importantly, the fans cared. People were just as invested in a feud between Ronnie Garvin & Greg Valentine or Davey Boy Smith & the Warlord as they were Warrior/Rude or Hogan/Savage. Plus you had heel FACTIONS, where the managers helped draw even more heat for their guys. Other than Paul Heyman, you don't see that anymore, either. And let's not forget the commentary, which could make even the most boring match entertaining. Ventura, Monsoon, and Heenan were masters at their craft, and their voices added a ton to the shows. Not since JR, Lawler, & Tazz during the Attitude Era has the commentary been so good, either.

[@kelman727]

The writing team are micro managed yes-men and they’re obsessed with pushing Roman Reigns. In short.

[@grantmcroberts4089]

@AMart sheamus is homegrown

[@redfordreddington8834]

Because he's a star. He could cross over into movies and have a successful career.

[@Gum_Cuzzler]

WWE doesn’t produce mega stars anymore because they don’t want to produce mega stars. Mega stars have barging power and the ability to cause boom and bust cycles in the business. WWE is making more money now than in the entire history of the company with less people watching than ever before. They want the brand to be the draw, not Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan or whoever.

[@philipbolin6776]

You really don't think wwe would want a mega star or 2 that packed houses months in advance? Come on...

[@tonware]

Somebody else made a great point that WWE is like Star Wars now. The universe and lore is the selling point, not the characters. Doesn't matter who's out there holding lightsabers, flying starfighters or who has "The Force" as long as you have said things, people will still eat it up because its Star Wars. WWE works the same way, as long as you have Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Royal Rumble/MITB matches, the occasional legend returning and the WWE Title people will still give the company attention.

[@Matmus]

@@philipbolin6776 your missing the point, the WWE have worked out they can make more money doing it this way than the old way.

[@Perkustin]

@@tonware Yeah good point, every promotion stinks up their cards with godawful Rumble rip-offs in the hope they'll strike gold. AEW has this vague collection of interchangeable PPVs with no clear 'Wrestlemania' imo a major weakness that is REALLY going to start hurting them. The WWE brand has built a foundation of iconic pillars that only increase in value, draw and return, it doesn't really matter who's in the ring only that it's a Wrestlemania main event. It doesn't even matter who's in the crowd they don't need fan loyalty, it only takes one good Rumble and 10 bad ones are erased.

[@fightsports66]

I think you guys on both sides of the argument are right. Vince does not want individual stars anymore with the power backstage of a Hogan or an Austin, that is a story that has been confirmed on a lot of wrestling news sites and KZbin channels. Just as true though is that the territory system that WWE benefited from in developing talents like Austin and The Rock is gone. Road agents who worked with wrestlers on ring psychology and telling a story in the ring are semi retired (Dr. Tom), retired (Blackjack Lanza, Gerald Brisco) or dead (Pat Patterson). If they wanted to create a star on that Hogan level again I do not think they could do it even if they wanted to. Maybe that is one of the reasons why they have decided to stop trying.

[@Krokodilius]

the only thing wrong with the training is: it's wwe style...when their biggest star of the past 10 years was DB who probably knows every style. the real issue is: they call almost every guy up to raw and bury em. rusev debuted, beat cena for the US title in his first match, jobbed 3 ppvs in a row back to cena. owens, nxt champ, comes up to raw, beats cena>>>jobs 2 back to let everyone know who's still in charge. they don't even give the new guys that much any more. they literally debut guys to crush them in 2021.

[@yeoshow1984]

The WWF/E blew its wad in the late 90s. Short-term gain, long-term pain.

[@MEQUPWER]

are you kiddung? its making more money now then EVER, blew its wad................yea brother, sure!

[@yeoshow1984]

@MEQUPWER I've heard that, not sure how it's possible. The product is boring now and it's not nearly influential as it was in the 90s.

[@kencoakley3959]

I miss the days of the territories. I'm a Boston native and got to see some great cards at the old Boston Garden. It was short lived because of "Hulkamania" and McMahon poaching talent and turning wrestling into children's entertainment. My first card was In December of 1982. The opening match was between Baron Mikel Sicluna, a heel who was on the verge of reticent, and a young baby face from Minnesota Named Curt Hennig. He was so young and looked so good and wasn't raided up. At the time he was tag partners with Eddie Gilbert. Another match was Jimmy "Superfly"Snuka, who had just completed a face turn, vs. his old manager Captain Lou Albano. Snuka jumped off all 4 turnbuckles. The main event was Champion Bob Backlund vs. Challenger Ray "Crippler" Stevens in a Texas Death Match. Through that time I saw Tiger Mask, Rocky Johnson, Magnificent Muraco and others. The last card I saw was topped off by a steel cage match between Andre The Giant and Big John Studd. It was the last match I would see at the old Boston Garden and the cage match was the last time I saw anyone in the WWF bleed. After that the AIDS scare was in full swing and Vince McMahon wanted cartoon characters not wrestlers so he could sell Action figures, cereal, underoos and anything parents would buy for their 5 year old kids. ECW made wrestling watchable again. Thank you, Paul Heyman.

[@musicuniverse1356]

We’re those Boston matches part of the old WWWF?

[@kencoakley3959]

@@musicuniverse1356I saw the WWWF matches on television when Bruno Sammartino did play by play with Vince Jr. Everyone thought McMahom was scrawny but a friend of my brother in law said that they worked out at the s1ame gym. Superstar Billy Graham was champ when I watched it on tv. My first Boston Garden match was just after Superfly Jimmy Snuka's face turn. Snuka was really over. Backlund would defend his title later each night but Snuka got all the crowd reaction. My first match was December 1982. The first match was a retiring Barn Mikel Sicluna against a young baby face Curt Hennig. His hair was still short and he wasn't roided up so he fit the bill. Usually, at the time, he was tag teamed with Eddie Gilbert. Later that day Superfly Jimmy Snuka had a match against Lou Albano in Retaliation for Albano's betrayal. They were much more inclusive in those days. No cartoon characters, no lame 80s Synth Pop tie ins. Wrestling was aimed at everyone and not just kids under 12.

[@musicuniverse1356]

@@kencoakley3959 Thanks for sharing your personal history with wrestling. I’ve read about the Boston Gardens and how legendary of a venue it was. I was born in 84 so I only heard bits and pieces about the Boston Garden as a kid when Larry Bird played for Celtics. My era of wrestling was the cartoonish era of 1994-1996. I watched wrestling intensely for those years and then grew out of it and focused my attention on music. I did have the opportunity to see Brett Hart wrestle at a house show at my local California arena. You definitely caught the best of the territory system because even in the 1970s Big Time Wrestling San Francisco and NWA Hollywood barely survived as territories. The territories that only made money were the AWA, the southern/Texas territories and WWWF. Then of course there was Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland that did pretty well under Don Owen but one does not see much history of it like with Mid South, JCP, WCCW, Tampa, Atlanta and Memphis.

[@jtjr26]

Good insights into why there are no new stars coming out of the performance center. Also, the few good talents they manage to produce when going to the main roster are almost never given a chance to thrive. They are sacrificed and discarded. I think another part of the problem is the old man running things is so far out of touch he keeps trying to replicate what worked in the past. Or if they push a guy enough then eventually the fans will get behind them but ignore some talent that for whatever reason manage to get over but do not get a push because it's not in the corporate plan.

[@mighty690am]

Dr Tom Pritchard, pure knowledge and experience. Old scholl wrestler. I remember him from The Great Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

[@elephantintheroom7063]

Today's wrestlers are nothing more than gymnast. Couple that with no mic skills and no charisma and you have the WWE

[@1krani]

Correction: you have wrestling in general right now.

[@scragglewaggle4109]

@@1krani yup

[@Feeeeb]

In 1998 youd put raw on and be excited. It was loud with heavy metal, industrial low budget vibe out of the warehouse. The fireworks kick in, JR screaming then the glass would shatter and out comes stone cold. That two minute description still blows 99% of today's high end, robotic crispy clean production straight out of the water.

[@MrFoxxx47]

Everyone always disses the Power Plant but they actually had some talented guys come out of there.

[@wookieeMan06]

power plant was trash

[@Nepthu]

Power Planet gave us some of the best stars.

[@wookieeMan06]

@@Nepthu but DDP, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg which can from power plant followed a different program than regular trainees

[@Superior_uno]

@@wookieeMan06 lol Goldberg came from there

[@wookieeMan06]

@@Superior_uno numb nut

[@MrRabiddogg]

Reminds me of an interview JBL gave a few years back. He and Eddie went on after the Undertaker who blew the roof off the arena at a house show. Instead of going into the program Eddie decided to slow the match down and had JBL sit on him in a headlock for several minutes. Wrestling today is way too predictable. Its either a reboot of something that worked in the Attitude era w/o the talent or some guys using moves that no one in their right mind can believe. First match I watched was when Santana dropped the IC belt to Savage in 1980 something. Crooked Ref Davis was distracted by Miss Elizabeth (can't blame him) and Savage hit him with a flying hammer drop while holding something in his hand. last match I watched was in 2018. I couldn't tell you who was even on the card much less the finish to any of the matches

[@selectman6352]

WWE at this point feels like a training center for the big leagues that is AEW. ooooOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! I can feel the heat already!

[@jbanksey22]

Facts. It feels like getting released from WWE is like a promotion

[@billyridge7250]

Eh not really. It feels like Ted Turner in 2000.

[@Charlie-ey4dm]

WWE will never be the same again ever the best years are behind way behind the best years ended I would say maybe mid-2000s I'm just glad I grew up in the '80s and the 90s and got to witness all of the good wrestling

[@D1Snr]

Same. I grew up in the late 80's and 90's, hands down the best era.

[@ayoa.o.9966]

I think part of that is that the modern times we live in don’t lend themselves well to a hot wrestling product. Spontaneity Is impossible. Hard to have a captive audience, nobody wants to be invested in the storytelling of a match now. everything is done now for the Gram. Spoilers ; we used to work hard to find spoilers, now we have to work even harder just to avoid them!

[@rudyrusso711]

Damn right!!

[@miguquaao3664]

WWE has stars or potential stars but doesn’t use them they way they should.

[@king-pin007]

Yea WWE is nuts for not hiring the Dr at their performance centre

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

Too many cooks.... you can't clear house and bring in him, he wold have SO much heat for that.

[@king-pin007]

@@ADAM_COLLECTS yea that’s unfortunate

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

@@king-pin007 no disputing el Doctor’s credentials but…. Yeah, business perspective makes me say, can’t be done.

[@majinstyles145]

Well him and kane got a wrestling school together so thats y

[@smiley37greg]

I've been a fan of Bruce's podcast for a while. Occasionally he will speak about his brother Dr Tom. Doctor is a fitting title, what a professional view he has on the development side of talent

[@greglozano64]

I'd rather listen to the Doc. Bruce is a company man

[@Nostalgicguy2242]

@@greglozano64 that's because the company Tom Pritchards called "home" SMW is a long distant memory

[@GLPitt1]

Bruce is entertaining but full of shit. Tom is a wrestling genius.

[@grantmcroberts4089]

Bruce can fuck off he is why wwe is in the gutter along with vince and laurinitis

[@BigLJR]

I believe it's not so much Vince not knowing how to run a company it's most likely the Network companies and the overall sensitivity of today's society that prevents the WWE from making great content

[@markg1727]

It’s Triple H and Linda, they want family friendly content, they want people they can control, they want to sell merchandise, they are tired of being in the business of wrestling. Stephanie as well doesn’t like female wrestlers that she doesn’t consider good role models, the whole attitude has changed, they are ashamed of the attitude era.

[@rafeeqturner1458]

This was by far the best shoot, I've heard in 2021

[@danwojcik8306]

Tom Prichard is fantastic! Such a fountain of knowledge and experience. He has so much to continue offering to the current and next generation of wrestlers.

[@lawrencehackett6479]

Dude I’m a wrestling fan, but it’s been years since they’ve drawed me back. I check in. But until there’s some genuine heat, or something to look for, I just don’t have the fucks to give anymore, not saying I need stone cold Steve Austin. But I do need a few guys who aren’t scared to lose they jobs every time they do a monologue

[@jamesb5764]

BRUCE Pritchard video/interview? Nah. TOM Pritchard video/interview? Heck Yeah.

[@0maxk_]

yeah toms way better

[@rondoughhowell6442]

That's why the Boys love Tom and everyone hates Bruce

[@JackgarPrime]

Agreed

[@KyleS.1987]

Bruce is a hell of a storyteller, but when it comes to pure insight on the business Tom is the guy to go to.

[@rondoughhowell6442]

@@KyleS.1987 Well there is a difference between being one of the boys and a yes man for the Head Employer

[@gbrooks2]

Holy shit; this is the best wisdom I’ve ever heard.

[@GraveyardGrog]

All the wrestlers nowadays are all cookie cutter 'athletes'. No more themed originality anymore. Sorely missed.

[@grantmcroberts4089]

All these wrestlers are stars and can actually wrestle. It is vince mcmahon that doesn't know talent if it slapped them in the face

[@extremepop324]

@@grantmcroberts4089 oh shut up.. Lance Storm and Hardcore Holly could "wrestle" real good, but that doesn't mean anything. You have to be a awesome character/personality. Today's wrestlers couldn't get themselves over even if Vince Russo was writing for them. Today's wrestlers are just "athletic" and that means nothing in the world of pro wrestling.. this isn't a real sport, it's entertainment.

[@paulellington1505]

I love how he explains everything. Dr. Tom is a great guy and coach. He runs his wrestling school with Kane. I'm trying to go there myself.

[@rogerbabin8175]

As an outsider who knows very little about the REAL business...I don't feel like I heard the answer here. How would I strive to achieve this in WWE? - Establish your character in developmental. Practice as both heel and face. Figure out something that comes natural to you and develop it. - Hammer home promo classes and acting classes. This is as important as anything in ring. - Cohesion between characters and stories going from developmental in NXT to main roster. - Give performers freedom to have their own styles. Not just the WWE style - Let wrestlers PRACTICE IMPORTANT MATCHES up front. Plan them out. This seems limited to woman wrestlers or rookies...it can benefit tons of people. - Give wrestlers some freedom on promos - Plan stories both short term (that show), medium term (that ppv cycle) and long term (after they win or lose the feud and how they change/grow from that). - Have room for flexibility in the planning. If someone is organically getting over and its not part of the plan...run with what the crowd is telling you more often than not.

[@branchtana315]

50/50 booking has to have played a role in the lack of true high level stars too. WWE has set up the system so everyone is a "superstar", and everyone wins and loses about the same. If everyone's a superstar, then in reality nobody is a superstar.

[@dukes1993724]

When a guy wins a lot ala Cena and Reigns everyone loses their shit. Need better characters it’s a s simple as that.

[@conniecarroll747]

I remember watching Tom in the ring on Raw, the man knows what he's talking about. He was enjoyable to watch had a great technique in the ring.

[@bdr113080]

I agree with what he says about the fans today. I would never go to a wrestling show to start chanting just so I can tape the show and point out to my other four buddies that look “ I was there! I was chanting!” I still believe that there are millions of fans out there that would support good pro wrestling. I’m a part of too many groups on Facebook that are filled with other fans like me that’s still love pro wrestling but don’t watch WWE or AEW. I don’t think the fans that we see on TV or a representative of all fans nationwide. They’re just the only ones dumb enough to go support this shit and they are more into being a part of the show then they are to go there and just be entertained like the 7 million of us that walked away from wrestling in the past 20 years.

[@rong805]

I think that there wasn't enough veterans to really teach the business to the more recent wrestlers, so there's very few left over from the "attitude era" and many of the newer generation are basically growing up together in the business. Pritchards' era had much more integration of new/old wrestlers. Guys had to earn their spots and had to know their place. Plus, there were so many territories, so much talent that was created and eventually traveled to bigger promotions, looking for the big break that would land them in the WWF.

[@illusioNery]

I remember when the PPV sets had themes tied to it and the stage reflected that. Now it’s the same stage for everything with a few monitors altered so it looks “different”

[@derrick1019]

WCW was the best and that…..starcade, Halloween havoc, war games

[@thefuturist8864]

Imagine if WWE hadn't allowed Rocky Maivia to become The Rock back in 1997; imagine if they'd played it like they did with Roman Reigns and just bludgeoned the audience, week after week, PPV after PPV, with a babyface we neither liked nor wanted. The reason the Attitude Era is so beloved is not because of puppies and hardcore titles; it's because the company responded to the audience and created fun and compelling stories to compliment the reception their wrestlers were getting. In the 2010s WWE had a wealth of talent - perhaps the single most talented roster they've ever had - and the only guys that were presented as genuine superstars were Reigns and Lesnar. The crowd loved Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler (remember Survivor Series 2014?) and WWE ignored them. WWE *can* produce money-making superstars. They've never *not* been able to, and they know how to do it better than anyone else. They gave us Hogan, Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, Mick Foley, HHH, Edge, Cena, Orton (among others) and they could have given us so many more in the 2010s. A Shield triple threat at WM could have been legendary, or how about if Bray Wyatt had won the Rumble in 2017 and beaten Cena in the headline match at WM33? These could have been legend-making moments, and instead we got whoever was being fed to Lesnar for that PPV cycle and something with Roman. They have Cody, Drew, Lashley, Seth, Roman, Sami and Kevin Owens. We already know the audience can get behind Cody, Drew or Sami. I'm happy for Reigns v Rock to headline WM next year but they have all they need to have a main event picture to rival anything from the late 90s and early 00s.

[@bartolomeestebanmurillo4459]

What made the attitude era so great was the emphasis on kayfabe, a lot of the time the wrestlers improvised their performance.

[@MegaFinalRound]

AEW has been doing this for the past couple of years now.

[@1krani]

No, what made the Attitude Era so great was the emphasis on character and story over matches. Matches on TV wouldn't go long before someone interfered and furthered a story, protecting the talent and making people salivate for the PPV, where the true match would happen and the story would be paid off. These days, the emphasis on matches means there's nowhere to go: people get their match and their result, definitively, with no story ti advance now that it's effectively ended.

[@erickessler2826]

@@1krani also might i add last 7 yrs. wwe having ton rematches same matches on ppv also raw for months. it is lazy booking. how many times do we have see drew vs lashley on raw or ppv? also wrestlers today do not look like tough guys. they look like average size dudes u would see at mall or starkbucks. everyone looks same. too many crusierweights. not enough monsters aka kane taker. lesnar. austin etc. larger then life stars. u had in atitude era also ruthless agression era. nxt is snoozefest. fact legomasters is drawing 4 million viewers. which is what wwe raw drew in 2006. pretty much proves cornette point in 2014. saying pro wrestling is dead. cornette saying less people watching it spending money on it then back in 80's and 90's. #cornettewasright!

[@1krani]

@@erickessler2826 It's not the repeat matchups, it's the fact they're full-length. What also happened in the Attitude Era was most TV matches would end with a run-in or cheating spot, but what kept the match hot was the fact it only lasted for a few minutes. You do a full-length match with a DQ finish, it feels unsatisfying. You do a three-minute tease before yoinking the blowoff away from the audience, the PPV match feels hyped. Al Snow did a video lecture on this, the true meaning of the term "heat".

[@erickessler2826]

@@1krani true i was around during atittude era. back in atittude era longest match was 7 mins. now a days matching are 20 mins longer. i watch al snow shoots for rf video. also al snow seminar where he had young students wrestlers in ring. on hannibal tv .

[@brucemichaelgrossman4913]

Tom's point about the performance center is so true. When I first started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, our beginner's class was right next to the intermediate / advanced class, and all I would ever do is gaze over at the complicated stuff, which I found way more interesting. Some days, I'd come to beginner's and hardly pay attention as a result.

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

Where did WWE go wrong with BRAY WYATT?? THE FIEND…THE EATER OF WORLDS…THE FIREFLY FUNHOUSE! This guy is an absolute professional wrestling genius, and it’s literally in his blood! He’s easily the greatest character to EVER come out of NXT & FCW. I think he’s the best thing to happen to WWE in the last 10 years or so…but Vince keeps dropping the ball with him despite him being one of the most popular & exciting characters in the world!

[@MEQUPWER]

this didnt age well AT ALL! RIP BRAY WYATT, you will be missed by millions of true FANS!

[@james23a]

I almost didn't recognize him since he wasn't standing behind Jim Cornette grinning and flipping his hair constantly. Lol. He knows his shit though and it's sad that guys like him are being ignored by the top company in the world.

[@coldy5456]

Heels arent allowed to be real heels anymore and it inherently makes creating mega stars harder.

[@gabrieltsgardner9942]

Though probably overused as an example - someone like MJF, who stays in character all the time is a far more compelling heel than someone who all evidence would suggest, is probably a stand up person because they're only in character on screen. I'm not necessarily against people *having a life* or making money outside of wrestling, but I do know what I prefer watching. Glad so many people are getting paid in wrestling right now full stop.

[@tonware]

Storytelling and character development is at an all time low for me. Nothing feels high stakes anymore. The last time I remember feeling edge-of-your-seat drama was the Punk/Cena MITB PPV match.

[@ryankeefe6222]

I’ll throw the Orton v Batista v Bryan Triple threat in there too but I understand your point that was hanging on every single near fall and every move that Punk and Cena did

[@alphonsemaina8293]

@@ryankeefe6222 And the end of the Streak too.

[@anthonythegreat72]

Once Vince challenged GOD in 2006, I knew it was over.

[@lovethatdanhousen7223]

I want a rematch too

[@erickessler2826]

anthony man cave back in 2006. wwe was drawing much larger ratings attendance merchadise sales. 2006 raw drew 4 million views. now a days raw can not even draw 2 million viewers. bravo housewives legomasters guy grocery games. are beating raw also nxt aew. in ratings.

[@jumpman2326]

Vince wasn’t challenging god he was making fun of Shawn Michaels becoming a Christian. WWE started going downhill in 2010

[@DonJulio1942]

@@jumpman2326 say 2011 or 2012 cause I enjoyed 2010 wwe

[@rockyhicks7277]

Absolute Genius! Preach Dr Prichard!

[@AnthonyMcqueen1987]

Vince just needs to step down the good old days are behind us and now they have nothing.

[@jademonolith]

It’s just really the booking and the “paying your dues” BS. If wrestlers were marketed as huge deals from the get go and booked strong, you’d have more drawing stars.

[@AyaGumede]

Have you reached any amount of real success, if you have you'd know that one HAS to go through the "paying your dues" BS. It's how you learn what works and what doesn't. You can market a lump of coal until the sun goes down, people still won't buy it, but if it's put under pressure... well you the rest

[@jademonolith]

@@AyaGumede way to miss the point. We are talking about wrestlers and their gimmicks here not real life lol

[@kwmusic4560]

14:35 Prichard nails it right here. Wrestling fans used to enjoy watching the shows, now they desperately want to be part of them.

[@jahiddle]

Difference between Tom and Bruce. Tom knows his shit and gets it when it comes to PW and it's current situation. Bruce is the one that defends the Red Rooster gimmick and other shit which shows you that all Bruce is,is a company man that kisses Vince's ass and is out of touch with fans and the PW business now.

[@billgober2]

That and Bruce wasnt a wrestler.

[@lavarbukowski578]

This should be mandatory viewing for all new wrestlers.

[@damianpriest196]

What Tom said even applies in music. Sample or use someone else you like sound and modify it and make it yours over time.

[@afattori316]

Wow. Just an amazing amount of knowledge and experience. Great interview.

[@thierrymartindandaneau1800]

That segment in wich you had Kingston and Woods ringside, side by side, hystericaly laughing as they were throwing out tomatoes at Miz and Morrison who couldn't figure out anything better to do than to slip and roll in it's juice like a pair of pigs sure got me tapping out on WWE and I ain't coming back.

[@rubix187]

Now THIS is a great wrestling mind. Learned a lot 👏🏿

[@bowslap]

The bottom line is that Vince McMahon doesn’t want any individual to be “bigger” than the show itself. It’s a form of control….Vince doesn’t want to be held “hostage” by the talent.

[@J64866]

They had a huge star in Bray Wyatt, but unfortunately kept trying to run him into the ground, and ultimately fired em.

[@michaelautrey6641]

while keeping his gimmick and merchandise rights.

[@Nurgles_Rot_]

Then handed that gimmick of a physical beast to 4'3 90lbs soaking wet lady....who woulda thought this would work?

[@ethanworkman8828]

Bray wasn’t a huge star. Just a goof star for the current wwe level. No one outside wrestling knows him.

[@TheWard1ne]

This is why he is called the Doctor. Dr. Tom Pritchard...supremely underrated

[@valinor5397]

Haven't watched wwe in over a decade and i don't feel like I've missed out on anything

[@Halbared]

Loved the Heavenly bodies. I agree with Jim Cornette, the business has been run into the ground and needs to go away for a few decades.

[@chrismorgan7494]

How can we miss it if it won't go away?

[@flch95]

There won’t be anyone left to learn the business from.

[@Halbared]

@@flch95 That's going to happen regardless, when the likes of Tom, Jim et al pass away.

[@michaelautrey6641]

@@chrismorgan7494 i think what jim cornette means is that wrestling needs to go back to the territory days and house shows.

[@chrissherlock7665]

@@michaelautrey6641 Can't speak for anyone else, but I would be fine with that.

[@locksmith1214]

Dr tom is really a dr of wrestling I mean this dude is spot on about everything

[@reeseangle9621]

I disagree.

[@Limitedtom643]

They still can produce them they just dont want to. I think Vince feels like a stepping stone since a lot of his talent leaves wwe once they become big. And i think Vince resents that

[@jnulpi]

Dr.Tom Prichard is great.I can listen to him all Day Long.

[@TheeCoachg]

Wrestling across the board sucks from all companies imo. Ppl blame WWE for scripting everything but look on the other channel when you let the inmates run the asylum,you get Chris Jericho doing sing along skits and burying his legacy on a weekly basis. Then the WWE is so overproduced and watered down and much to do about nothing,the stuff you do like its like sitting through a stabbing for 2hrs to get to it. This is a time when the creative sucks AND the talent sucks,usually its one or the other but wrestling needs to go away for a yr and revamp itself as a whole.

[@lilvegas2404]

Roman Reigns and Charlotte Flair seem to be Superstars at the moment.

[@Ted_Bell]

Wut?

[@TheArnold46]

Roman and Charlotte are being shoved down our throats. Just like Cena was for a decade. WWE haven't had a real superstar since the days of Austin and the Rock.

[@Hypno_BPM]

the last 2 stars WWE had were CM Punk and Daniel Bryan’s huge run in the mid 2010s. They screwed up both of their storylines , if they had been given a better story to work with who knows how big they would’ve gotten. Punk and Bryan legitimately broke thru to the mainstream and WWE dropped the ball twice. Vince probably didn’t want them to be stars cuz he didn’t “make” them.

[@DJBlack909]

Vince is so scared to let talent be themselves, because they’ll get a bigger name outside WWE, (Ex: The Rock, Stone Cold). Hence the micromanaging and scripted promos and just overall same stuff different day formula in WWE.

[@gunsandpoker7432]

I see his point. Makes a lot of sense.

[@wookieeMan06]

This is exactly what Jim corvette said

[@jimmyshaffer6613]

I love what you said about doing something different. That resonated with me. Imagine a wrestler that does something different, week after week after week. unfathomable, unbeatable.

[@charleslowe2095]

For one thing there is too much focus on women's wrestling in wwe its boring, Vince McMahon needs go back to more oldschool type of wrestling which he never will, I really wish we could have something like the nwa in 80's.

[@alston336]

Absolutely fantastic interview. Thanks.

[@JackSquat1]

All the stars worked territories or indies... They got over by being an invention of their own. The PC creates clones... and it's very obvious they are cut out of the same mold, with smooth edges.

[@abelardoruiz5544]

Oh.... It will help that you don't make your upcoming star getting crushed by Oldbergs....

[@jamiekmett8847]

Damn, Doc took us to school!!!

[@jermaineevans6910]

Thinking about what Dr. Tom said about wrestling being a feeling business... there are times when WWE missed out on organic reactions and guys getting over (Rusev being one example.) Sometimes they don't strike the iron when it's hot, and even worse, they can utterly destroy these guys that naturally get popular. I think that also does some harm because it causes viewers to get frustrated. Who wants to see their favorite character throughout a show get treated like crap and unceremoniously get gunned down?

[@rid1bee]

Pro wrestling was always about larger than life characters. Andre, Hogan, Flair, Sting, Austin, Rock, you name it. But most importantly, it was about kayfabe. Before the internet boom era, many people used to believe in these larger than life characters and the storylines behind their matches. Wrestling fans genuinely believed that those matches and their outcomes were legit. The internet boom largely killed kayfabe and therefore made people aware that those matches and storylines were nothing more than a show. This is what killed pro-wrestling. Guys like Jim Cornette and some others still view pro wrestling like it used to be in the 70s and 80s, but let's face it, with the death of kayfabe, pro wrestling was never going to be the same again. And companies such as the WWE had to adapt to a new type of audience, one that viewed pro wrestling as a show and nothing more. Hence, goodbye to the larger than life characters and welcome on board a new breed of wrestlers, who were more skilled in the ring and who would draw casuals fans with their athleticism instead of their charisma. Is it working? Yes and no. No if you go by the quality of the whole product, but yes if you look at the financial side of WWE. They have never been bigger than they are now in terms of revenue and profitability.

[@gststg64849]

Exactly… Roman Reigns is going to do an interview on TV laughing and smiling then the next day has to put on a character

[@rid1bee]

@@gststg64849 I agree, but as I mentioned, with the accessibility of the internet, it is impossible to keep kayfabe and stay in character.

[@Panwere36]

I think Vince finally has realized that he never really killed pro wrestling that the fans want and never will. So, like any sycophant, he is destroying/letting others destroy what he "built".

[@boricio74]

Too many pint sized acrobat artist wearing goofy ring attire, amateur wrestling shoes or sneakers, too much bad comedy, and meaningless story lines. When my dad took me to the matches we saw larger than life characters that were all different. Not any ol Joe from off the street that lessens the value of the product

[@jaieighty6812]

Pro Wrestling is dead, if you were alive to enjoy it in the 80s and 90s then consider it a blessing.

[@loufaulk6812]

He's right on the money on this

[@JimmyHall68]

Awesome video.Dr.Tom knows his stuff.Anyone lucky enough to be teached by him, all they have to do is listen.